good morning. it's friday. coming up on "early today," a meteorite comes crashed to earth earth hurting over 400 people we've got the breaking details. the ship has come in and the stranded passengers on board the carnival triumph are finally on dry land. for the first time in american history, a minority in the senate has blocked a president's candidate nominee. this former senator has a billion-dollar gambling problem. all that, plus president obama takes a closer look at children's ed. speaker john boehner kisses up to the media. and the promise of a new life. "early today" starts right now. >> announcer: this is "early today" for friday, february 15th, 2013.

good morning. i'm mara schiavocampo. danger from space today. a falling meteorite. in russia, the trail from the meteorite was seen streaking across the sky about 900 miles east of the moscow. the interior ministry said about 400 people were injured as meteorite fragments caused explosions and damaged some buildings. at least three people have been hospitalized in serious condition. most of the injuries were caused by broken glass. a local official said the meteor shower may be connected to an asteroid passing earth today. and that close encounter with the asteroid happens today in the u.s. the asteroid called 2012 da2014 will zoom pass us. that's below the orbit of satellite. the closest approach by a space raublg like that in more than a century. now, it poses no danger to us, but if it fell to earth, it could explode with the force of an atomic bomb.

a day's ordeal has finally come to an end for people on board the cruise ship triumph. nbc's mark porter is in mobile where he watched the ship come in. mark. good morning. what have you been hearing from passengers coming off of that ship? >> reporter: well, we're hearing that they're very glad to be on land, mara, as you can imagine. the passengers are all off the ship now. things were pretty quiet here. the ship arrived here about 10:15 eastern time tonight. we knew it was arriving because it was blowing its horns and passengers were cheering from the railing. the carnival ceo went on board to personally apologize to all the passengers. after that, they were allowed to leave. it took several hours for all the hours to get off the ship. some of them were met by friends and relatives in mobile who either drove them away or put them in hotels here.

others got on buses to new orleans where 1500 hotel rooms were set aside. and charter planes were set up to fly them home later today. others decided to go all the way by bus to galveston where the trip began to pick up their cars. they are still on that trip right now. imagine that, after coming off the ship, now a long overnight bus ride. the passengers that we talked to said that, again, very glad to be on the ground. but that this was a harrowing ordeal. they didn't know what happened when the fire took place. they were very concerned about that. the sanitation situation. the living conditions became unbearable, but they had good things to say about the crew which they said worked hard to make sure the passengers had as good an experience given the very terrible as possible. mara. >> mark potter live in mobile, thanks for that. the white house said it's a move that plays politics with the pentagon.

senate republicans blocking at least temporarily the nomination of chuck hagel to be secretary of defense. the motion to move toward a final vote failed 58-40. it's the first time a defense secretary naum he nominee has needed to clear 60 votes. the move is likely to further strain partisan tensions less than a month into president obama's second term. >> my expectation and hope is that chuck hagel who richly deserves to get a vote on the floor of the senate will be confirmed as our defense secretary. it's just unfortunate that this kind of politics intrudes at a time when i'm still presiding over a war in afghanistan. >> there's still questions outstanding. i believe that senators have the right to have those questions answered. >> some senators say they want to examine information regarding the u.s. consulate attack in benghazi. majority leader harry reid plans to bring up the matter when congress returns from recess at the end of the month. during a live streaming

google hangout chat thursday president obama again defended his administration's use of drones on the war on terror insisting everything he's done is legal. but he admitted the public should know about how the program works. >> what i think is absolutely true is that it is not sufficient for citizens to just take my word for it that we're doing the right thing. >> a classified memo recently revealed u.s. citizens suspected of terrorism has been targeted drone strikes. when asked if the u.s. could target americans on american soil, the president said no. today, a bail hearing for oscar pistorius, the olympic athlete and double amputee charged with murdering his girlfriend in his upscale south african home. the 26-year-old arrived just hours after his arrest. he fatally shot his model girlfriend reeva steenkamp who was struck four times. no word on bail but prosecutors are expected to request that he stay behind bars. police have given few details about the case other than to

they steenkamp died of multiple gunshot wounds. early reports speculated she might have been mistaken for a burglar. the former mayor of san diego is in quite a financial hole and shed she'll repay more than $2 million that she took from charity and gambled away. maureen o'connor embezzled the money set up by her late husband, the found of jack in the box restaurants. the 60-year-old gambled more than $60 billion. >> for the weather, bill karins is here. do you do meteorite coverage as well? >> no, but i'm fascinated. i'd love to see shooting stars. i can't imagine a scene they saw in russia. we have rain in areas of florida. going to be another rainy day. nothing like severe nothing flooding but will cause you some trouble on the roads, especially

driving on the highways from family, tampa, south of orlando. the other big story from the weekend is the cold air invading from the north. winter gear definitely needs for minneapolis, heading for chicago through minneapolis, the great lakes and the ohio valley. and at the same time, there's going to be that ocean storm i've been talking about all week long. just looki ing especially throu the mid-atlantic. not a blockbuster storm like last weekend. but enough snow in new hampshire and maine that you probably have to plow and shovel. and new haven and hartford could cause you some problems as we go through the saturday. everyone else, enjoy one last warm day on the east coast. that's a look at your national forecast, now here's a look outside your wind. we will see a chance of rain even snowflakes mixed in date in

nashville. we are going to have snow in the great lakes that will spark snow showers in many areas including minneapolis, cleveland and detroit. we have an active weather pattern. after this storm, probably two or three in the middle of the country. busy period will come in. wall street was feeling the love on valentine's day to the tune of 40 billions. the big apple may get sweeter for pot smokers. plus, the angry mob protests the wedding of a man convicted of killing her twin sister. incredible story in two minutes.

welcome back. here's some other stories making news this morning. remains found in a charred california cabin has been identified as christopher dorner. the fugitive ex-cop that led police on nearly i week-long manhunt. it was back to school for president obama wednesday. the president was in georgia touting his early childhood education practice. he was quite a hit with kids. even sitting down with them duringlass. a new policy in new york for

people caught with small amounts of marijuana. beginning next month, suspects will be given a desk appearance rather than spend a night in jail. a major victory for people of same-sex marriage in illinois. and in oregon the same-sex spouse of a military service member will be buried at a national cemetery. it's believed to be the first case of its kind and will take place at willamet national cemetery. probably the most bizarre wedding of this valentine's day. a woman in argentina marries a man convicted of killing her twin sister. edith's identical sister was shot and killed. and her boyfriend was convicted and serving a 13-year prison sentence. who said chewing gum in class would never get you anywhere? one artist in the ukraine is making the most of that talent. she uses the sticky substance to

make portraits of celebrities like elton john and steve jobs. the gum is first chewed and separated into different colors and heated in a microwave. at least it looks good from far away. researchers at a florida clinic are using one of the most poisonous animals on the planet to help cancer survivors. they're using the poisons from the puffer fish. to eliminate long-term pain caused by chemotherapy. one woman said she's pain-free after receiving the injections. unfortunately, the drug is years away from being approved. >> announcer: "early today" health is brought to you by vagisil cream. over on wall street it may not be smooth sailing for carnival as the crippled triumph was towed to shore. shares of the cruise company fell in after hours trading. also after hours, cbs stock slipped after earnings fell short of in some analysts' estimates. on the upside, u.p.s. got a boost after increasing its dividends by a nickel per share. the week's wheeling and dealing continue to roll high as the iconic ketchup brand sold to

$23 billion to warren buffett's berkshi berkshi berkshire's hathaway. shares of grupo modello were higher. federal regulators are worried about lack of competition in the beer market. in the wake of boeing's battery problems, airbus is scrapping the same lithium batteries in its new a-50s. tiffany and company filed a lawsuit against costco thursday claiming it falsely sold diamond engagement rings in its stores under the name. walmart's british supermarket discovered horse dna from its beef bouillonese sauce. women have made huge strives in the workforce. women made only 81% as their male counterparts last year. and it was a very happy valentine for dave and nancy honeywell of fredericksburg, virginia. the lucky company collected $217

million powerball jackpot as a one-time payment of $136 million. the odds of that win, 1 in 175 million. that is a great valentine's day. well, straight ahead, kangaroos take over a golf tournament. and lebron hands kevin a big one just before the all-star break. you're watching "early today."

welcome back. now to some other stories that caught our eye this morning. we start in connecticut where thousands came out to rally for gun control. marchers for change coincided with the two-month anniversary of the sandy hook tragedy. governor dannel malloy and jillian soto sister of victoria soto spoke at the rally. in massachusetts, this store clerk was quick on the draw. a knife-wielding burglar got more than he bargained for when a clerk armed himself with a sword. the eight-inch knife was no match for the impress of three-foot blade and the robber made a hasty retreat. in wichita, an unusual rescue saved her life. a woman found herself trapped in a garbage truck after nighttime dumpster diving. the truck didn't hear or see the woman inside. it was her sister who ran to the truck in the nick of time keeping the girl from being crushed. rescue crews managed to pull the woman to safety. down to orlando where a tractor trailer accident left one interstate covered in mashed potatoes. the truck crashed on its way to

deliver a load of sweet potatoes to a grocery store. the driver was sent to the hospital. the crews were left to clean up the massive pile of spuds. finally in san diego, seaworld welcomed the new bundle of joy on valentine's day. the park leased video of a killer whale giving birth to a more than 300-pound calf before coming up for air and taking its mom's place at its side. a miracle of life. moving on to sports. overtime in college basketball minnesota got a three-point from dre holland to take the lead over wisconsin. the golden gophers got the upset victory 58-53. deshaun thomas number 13 ohio state spun for the second layup to give the buckeyes the lead and topped all scorers with 22 points. ohio state defeating northwestern 69-59. just before the all-star break in the nba, a rematch of last year's finals. miami against oklahoma city. and lebron james scored in 39 points as the heat pounded the thunder. 110-100. moving to golf down under as

kangaroos race across the course. a new star jumped out to the lead at the australian women's open. 15-year-old oliviaco made some incredible putts. she's also the youngest player to win on the lpga tour. and the daytona 500 on february 24th will feature a car dedicated to the 26 victims of the shootings at sandy hook elementary school in connecticut. the number 26 car driven by two-time daytona 500 winner michael waltrip also calls on fans to text donations to the newtown school support fund. just ahead, seth is showered in bling. plus, is bruce willis' nine lives just about up in the latest installment of the "die hard" franchise? you're watching "early today."

welcome back. here's what you need to know about the upcoming weekend forecast. holiday weekend, by the way. we're watching the rain if florida. then the colder air and a little bit of a clipper system coming through the great lakes with snow showers. that's later this afternoon. later tonight, off the coast, bringing snow to areas, especially in new england, a couple inches. new hampshire and maine. by sunday, we get rid of that and start to warm it up a little bit in the midwest. at least the cold air is not here to stay. well, there's something for everybody at the box office this weekend. the fifth installment in the "die hard" franchise should rake in the most cash despite terrible reviews.

yeah. >> i thought it was going to be good. >> well, it wasn't. despite that criticism, nicholas spark's "safe haven" will be that. for female moviegoers. and beautiful creatures with scenes aimed solely at the "twilight" crowd. maggie smith one of the stars of "downton abbey" has admitted she's never seen the show. she thinks seeing that would make her agonize over her performance. though smith said she may some day end up watching the show. new york fashion week goes head to head with big celebs. jessica chastain and olivia wild study all the different styles coming down the runway. and waxed poetic for michael kors. and michael douglas even enjoyed seeing some of the fashion shows. and with the oscars just over a week away, actresses are busy getting their gowns ready for the big night. this year's host seth macfarlane already has his attire picked out. two gucci tuxedos. and apparently he's been courted from jewelers all over the world

begging him to wear their diamond cuff links and tie clips. they love you now but what would they say to you the morning after hosting the world's toughest gig. i actually wish somebody would beg me to take their jewelry. >> a million-dollar necklace. with seth macfarlane, this is so interesting for him. this next one comes from orlando, florida, where one little piggy made it all the way home with a help of a sweet set of wheels. chris p. bacon. that's not my name for him. he was nearly euthanized. instead, one veterinarian fashioned a wheel hair for the little guy made out of his son's toys. chris may outgrow his ride but the internet has not outgrown the love for the bacon viral video. he is adorable. >> i'm mara schiavocampo, and this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

>> you're watching wbal-tv 11. live, local, late-breaking. this is 11 news today at 5:00 a.m. >> good morning. we're off to a quiet start on this friday. most of today will be fine. 31 in parkton. 38 in annapolis. we'll be close to 50 degrees this afternoon. a chance for some rain and snow showers into the weekend. the seven forecast in just a few minutes. >> thank you. >> is it me?

4:57. what was that in the sky this morning? a lot of questions about something suspected to be a media rigteorite. >> we didn't know how we were getting back. it is good to be backe. >> journey is not over. >> candidates stepped up to the plate. >> we are looking very nice on >> we are looking very nice on the roadways this morning

[captioning made possible by constellation energy group] captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- >> you're watching wbal-tv 11. live, local, late-breaking. this is 11 news today at 5:00 a.m. >>